Dropping Out

I am amazed (in a sad way) about the number of people that have great experiences with God, who feel called to service, who at one point in time are full of passion and dedication, and then drop out. From non-scientific observations I think most of this occurs because of lack of real friendship (the type that encourages) and lack of something significant to do. Although living by faith is much harder than one might think. Being surrounded by things that do not look like they are working out is not the romantic picture that some think it is.

But what to do about those who are slipping away. Do we, or do I, own than any support or help? Is this life of God in Christ Jesus a solo act? Am I in any way obligated to those I don't even know?

I have a plan. It may again be one of those times when I fail at something rather than succeed at nothing!

More to come.

Alone

It is a most strange thing to be a human being. When we face some sudden or deep suffering, we mostly feel alone. Even in the midst of friends and family, comfort and edification, a part of our insides feels isolated and alone. It may be death or illness of a patent or child, it may be our own condition of anguish, or it may be the helplessness of helping one of our children through a very difficult place in life. We stand alone.

In no way am I denying the reality of the never ending presence of God, but even with His presence, we are alone. No other person feels our pain, has our thoughts and truly understands what it is that we are facing in those moments. Sure we can lean on one another as far as common experience goes. But it is not bad to be alone. We are made as individuals and as such there are some necessary times to be that, individual.

I suppose that some of us feel much less of this aloneness than others. People who are "people persons" tend to be more easily distracted from them selves, not completely, just seemingly more. Others who have some divine gifts of burden bearing, prophetic insight or compassion seem to feel much more of this "aloneness", yet have come to peace with it.

There is both pain and healing in this isolation. Pain in the reality that I must endure and go through this as a person. The call to go through this season as a person, as one who is just that, one. Healing in the same way. It is like the heart is called to become resolved through hidden isolation. Sure the health can be postponed or rejected all together by blaming, rejecting or denying the right and duty of being a person. I can look for a way to lives that seeks to avoid my person hood. None will.

I, for one, am sure there are many who feel mostly alone in life. Not is a sad or needful way. Just alone. When my parents suffer, friends, family, children all undergo hardships, even my ability as an intercessor does not resolve the isolation of the heart. It doesn't need to.

For if we can embrace it and not be overcome by standing alone, we will find greater clarity and peace. Even when the outer man or situation is in pain and suffering, there is an inner place alone, calm, un-distracted. In that place of great awareness the world, or sin or some natural or un-natural thing calls to us to get us to do something "not to be alone". Don't do that.

God comes walking into humanity, softly calling. Those who are not distracted will hear the sound. In that moment you will be in a position that I think few in our day find. The position of encountering God without distractions, but alone.

I have a friend who is not bothered by me.
He is not impatient for me to change
He has not assumptions that I will
He has given me the gift of humanity
And at times in that gift
I must be alone

How to become a better intercessor

Often when we pray for others the main thought life is seeking to find the right scripture or truth to apply to the situation. Often, this union of scriptures and circumstances are the result of our own personal experiences. What we want is to become people who can apply the heart of God to the heart of man. Avoiding our own judgments, no matter how good, is a desirable goal.
Now to this emptying ourselves so that Christ can be magnified comes the reality that most people of prayer are called to represent a certain stream of God. People are called to mainly see justice, mercy, healing or discipleship. This is not a complete list. But God in His wisdom created us to need one another and while we are to feel insecure in being “a part” we should feel insecure when we feel like we are sufficient ourselves.
This brings us to a foundational level of being in Christ that we need to develop.
Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also? "Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."
(Matthew 15:16-20) emphasis added

When we pray for people we want to see what God sees and feel what God feels so that we speak what God would speak. This means we need to be delivered from the uncleanness of our own judgments and traditions. We do not want to accuse people of anger, lust, laziness or anything out of our natural perceptions. We do not want to be an accuser of the brethren.
The first step in overcoming this inward darkness is to admit that it is there and turn away for our own strength to the Lord. By increasing our humility and dependence upon God we build on the foundation that well last. In time, as our nature is transformed, we will find the burden of turning to the Lord is a great delight for us. We will love the very thing we thought was an added discipline.
Much more needs to be said about the inner life of people of prayer, but we can go a long way on building our house of prayer on His will and not our perceptions and judgments.

Others

One of the things I have experienced again and again in my life is the love of other people. It is almost daily that someone is kind, generous or just thoughtful toward me. This is somewhat upsetting because I feel humbled by such love. Even in the tiniest of events I feel unworthy. This, for me, is a just feeling. How great is the love of God to be shown through the gifts, sacrifices and blessings of others.

Over the last 20 years I have gone from the land of "needing no one" to the land of self-helplessness. Physically I use to be able to work 10-12 hours a day. I obtained a lot of self worth by my ability to help others build homes, repair cars, do landscape, move buildings, farm and a long list of other physical activities. Much of that is gone for me unless I experience more grace.

Yet my inability to do good for others has not lessened the good He does to me through a great many other people. Thank You! I am glad to be a part of the lives of so many who are willing to deal with my issues and bless me with theirs.